Exercise and Health Physiology

Bachelor of Kinesiology (BKin)
Bachelor of Science (BSc)

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What you will learn in this program

Exercise and Health Physiology scholars ask questions such as: How do athletes attain optimal performance? Can exercise help to prevent chronic disease? How does regular physical activity assist in maintaining a healthy body composition?

Exercise and Health Physiology builds on the knowledge of human movement and function to focus on the impacts that lifestyle, exercise and diet have on the human body. During the course of your studies, much of your learning will occur while actively working on problems in class and during labs. You’ll develop an understanding of the complex functioning of the human body at the molecular, cellular and systemic levels and learn to apply your knowledge in real world situations.

Career opportunities

Exercise and Health Physiologists have global opportunities to work in areas such as sport medicine and rehabilitation, recreation, health and fitness, research and more. A degree in Exercise and Health Physiology can also be used as a stepping-stone to graduate studies or another professional degree such as law, medicine, veterinary medicine, or architecture.​

Courses you'll take:

Activity (Essence and Experience), General Chemistry (Structure and Bonding), Introduction to Research in Kinesiology, Introductory Calculus, ​Human Anatomy and Physiology I

Program Highlights

Lab work - Learn how to use tools and develop techniques within a supervised laboratory setting.

Work experience

Practicum experience - Opportunity to gain hands-on career related expereinces in a professional setting.

Hands-on opportunities

Study abroad opportunities - Cultural and academic experiences at destinations around the world.

​Professor Guillaume Millet studies weariness in all its guises. Why do men fizzle out earlier than women during ultra-endurance races? What causes fatigue in frail populations, including cancer survivors? Millet, an ultra endurance runner himself, adapts methods that have been used to study athletes and mountaineers to understand the mechanisms that cause fatigue. His goal is to alleviate this distressing symptom in order to improve the overall quality of life of patients.

​ Studying athletes sheds light on fatigue in cancer survivors

Did you know? That out of over 340 student clubs on campus, the Kinesiology Students' Society has won the UCalgary Student’s Union Engagement Award five times for their commitment to supporting and engaging first-year students on campus.

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Your cost

I think it was my fascination for the human body that attracted me most to kinesiology. I love learning how our bodies function as well as the things that can occur in terms of illness and disease that can inhibit proper function. I love that no matter where I end up in life I know that I will be able to utilize the knowledge I have gained from the undertaking of this program.

​Lance B., kinesiology student

Join our community in fall 2018

We'll be accepting applications to attend the University of Calgary in fall 2018 starting on Sunday, October 1, 2017. You'll be able to submit an application until Thursday, March 1, 2018. Check out our student experience page to find out more about what life is like on campus or consider visiting campus for a tour led by one of our current students.